Stockton on Tees has one of the highest crime rates in England, with violence being the number one crime taking place.
As a Young Person’s Project worker, I am seeing the effects violence is having on children from being exposed to violence on a regular basis. This includes experiencing domestic abuse in their home, witnessing fights and attacks in their community, having access to age inappropriate content online, including video games that are often seen as ‘harmless’ and hearing about and seeing the horrific acts of violence on the news going on around the world.
I am seeing that children who are exposed to this kind of behaviour on a regular basis are experiencing difficulties in school, are absent, unable to create and maintain friendships, acting aggressively, struggling with their feelings, unable to control their emotions, getting into fights, thinking it’s okay to carry weapons and using derogatory and racist language.
Experience and research show that as these children grown up, they are more likely to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol, suffer depression and other mental health problems, engage in criminal and violent behaviour, potentially leading them to prison and or death.
Over the past 4 months, I have been leading the CURV (Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence) programme at A Way Out, funded by the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, working with some amazing children who unfortunately have been displaying these behaviours. As a team we have been educating them around topics such as making choices, safety planning, noticing triggers and warning signs and how to self sooth, expressing feelings and emotions and noticing those of others, peer pressure, toxic friendships, bullying, grooming, staying safe online and the effects of violence. Doing this in a fun and interactive way, creating a calm, safe space for the children, makes it enjoyable for those taking part and feel like they have a space to be seen and heard.
Although some of these wonderful children are so entrenched in such negative, learned behaviours, I am seeing some fantastic, positive changes from those taking part in the programme and hope that those changes will continue.
Young Person's Project Worker
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